Footnotes Travel

How I Became a Traveler

For as long as I can remember, I've loved to travel. I boarded my first plane at twelve for a trip to California and talked about it for practically the next year. When I was fifteen, I made a life to-do list. The very first thing on it was to visit all fifty states. I finally checked that one off in 2023 with a trip to Alaska.

After college, a good friend and I set off on the Black Jack Tour of America: 21 states in 21 days. We put 7,800 miles on a Buick LeSabre (back when gas was $1.50 a gallon).

At 22, I took my first international trip when I joined the Peace Corps in Morocco. Overnight, everything changed: my home, my job, the language I spoke, and the people I spent my days with.

Over the next two years, I learned the language, shared countless glasses of tea, and spent time in my neighbors' kitchens watching them prepare tagines. Morocco became my home, and those two years shaped both who I am and how I experience travel. It was also my jumping-off point for exploring more of the world, including my first trips to Europe.

Over the past two decades, I've continued exploring the world while living in New York City and working full-time. These days, I spend two to three months a year traveling, mostly using vacations and long weekends.

How I Travel

I like full days, but I'm selective about what I prioritize. I'd rather spend time exploring something that fascinates me than rush through a list of places I'm supposed to see. These are the experiences I find myself seeking out wherever I go.

Local Food

Food is one of my favorite ways to explore a place. Whether it's taking a food tour in Quebec City, learning to cook Thai food in Chiang Mai, or enjoying a memorable tasting menu, I love discovering new flavors. I also bring home ingredients and recipes so I can recreate some of those dishes in my own kitchen.

Heritage Sites & Museums

I seek out UNESCO World Heritage Sites, from the ancient streets of Ephesus in Turkey to the pyramids in Egypt. I want to see famous works of art in person, but I'm equally drawn to quirky, highly specialized museums, like a museum of self-playing instruments in Utrecht.

Crafts & Souvenirs

I bring home things that remind me of where I've been: an alpaca blanket from Peru, a leather jacket from Florence, and whole spices from India. I look for things that feel connected to a place and that I'll keep using long after the trip. And ideally, something that fits in my suitcase.

Walks & Nature

Some of my favorite experiences have been outdoors. A 32-mile walk around the perimeter of Manhattan with 3,000 people on a sunny day in May. A full day on a boat deep into the marshes of Cambodia, looking for brightly colored birds. A night stargazing from a Bedouin tent in the desert of Wadi Rum, Jordan.

Spas & Hammams

Being scrubbed by a stranger in a steamy hammam in Morocco. Soaking in a traditional onsen in Japan. Stepping out of a hot sauna in Oslo and plunging into the icy fjord. I seek out the local version of a spa day, even if it takes me outside my comfort zone.

Serendipitous Experiences

I leave room for something unexpected, whether I find it through geocaching, a local's recommendation, or a great guide. Sometimes it's an offbeat little museum, sometimes it's a neighborhood celebration I didn't know was happening.

Holidays & Celebrations

More Christmas markets than I can count. Ringing in the New Year on Capri or on the Nile in Luxor. Experiencing Ramadan in Morocco, or joining the celebrations in Colombia after a World Cup victory. I love seeing how places come alive when there's something to celebrate.

Books & Movies

Books are another way I get to know a place, especially memoirs and true stories told by people who have lived or traveled there. I often read them during my trip to feel more connected to the place I'm exploring. Movies set in my destination are another favorite way to get excited about a place before I arrive.

How I Build Your Guide

I only create guides for places I've actually been. I share what I loved, what surprised me, and what I'd do differently, along with the practical details I wish I'd known before going.

I spend hours researching every destination, pulling together information that's usually scattered across dozens of sources. I bring it all together in one place, so you can spend less time hunting for information and more time choosing what interests you.